quarta-feira, 15 de junho de 2016

China's First Home-Made Big Passenger Plane May Take First Flight This Year

CRIENGLISH.com

China's first domestically produced large passenger aircraft, C919, is to make its maiden flight in the second half of this year, Chinese Flight Test Establishment told Xinhua-affiliated business newspaper Economic Information Daily on Monday.

However the Commercial Aircraft Cooperation of China (COMAC), the maker of C919, told the media later the jet is still being tested, and its maiden flight could be postponed till next year.

C919 is expected to strengthen China's capacity in high-end equipment manufacturing and make the country a real manufacturing power.

Twenty-one foreign and domestic customers have already placed 517 orders for the jet.

According to a report released by COMAC, the potential market of C919 is worth more than 650 billion yuan (US$100 billion).More About C919The C919 jet was developed by COMAC.The basic model has 158 seats, a standard range of 4,075 kilometers and an extended range of 5,555 kilometers.COMAC said the jet has extended, shortened, cargo and business versions in the pipeline. In addition, this new-generation jet will have flexible cabin designs to meet the needs and preferences of different airlines.

The Process of C919

According to local web portal Jiemian News, the jet has completed its tests on system, equipment and apparatus installments. Further tests such as flight control, which means controlling an aircraft's direction in flight, to make sure it fly stably, will be taken after its maiden flight.The first flight of C919 has been rescheduled from 2014 to 2016.

COMAC explained that the standards needed to acquire the International Airworthiness Certificate, which C919 desired to enter intentional markets, translated into a large amount of independent research and development by Chinese technicians, which slowed down the whole process.

The jet also features low fuel consumption. It will use 13 to 15 percent less oil compared with its current competitors.Competitors of C919

The jet is expected to compete with the updated A320eno developed by Airbus and Boeing's new-generation 737 MAX.

The first flight of the A320eno took place on September 2014. In January 2016, the A320neo entered service with Lufthansa, the aircraft type's launch customer.

The 737 MAX first flew on January 29, 2016. The jet is scheduled for its first delivery in 2017 to launch customer Southwest Airlines.China's Big Passenger Aircraft Manufacturing PlanBefore C919, China had proved it has aviation manufacturing acumen, despite failing to exploit products to their full commercial potential.

The country developed its first large passenger aircraft, the Y-10, a four-engine narrow-body jet airliner in the 1970s.

The plane, which seated 149 people in economy, had a successful test flight on September 26, 1980, and visited a number of Chinese cities, including the plateau city of Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Unfortunately, the project was canceled in 1985 due to viability and budgetary reasons. At that time, China had already opened up, and had a modest fleet of Western-produced aircraft.

China resumed the pursuit of its aircraft dream in 2008 when COMAC produced the ARJ21-700 regional jet, China's first airliner independently designed in accordance with international standards. The 5-seat per row jet was awarded airworthiness certificates from both the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the U.S. Federal Aviation Agency.

The ARJ21-700 underwent six years of grueling tests before the civil aviation authority awarded its accreditation in 2014.